Sheikh Hasina says she is coming home. The former prime minister of Bangladesh, living in exile since her government fell, has vowed to return in December, even though a court has sentenced her in absentia to hang for crimes against humanity. [1]
Hasina cast the decision as duty rather than defiance. She acknowledged she "may be detained" and "may be sent to prison," while insisting that "fear cannot decide my duty to the people." [1]
Her plan has become a diplomatic problem for the country hosting her. India, where Hasina has taken refuge, moved to distance itself from the announcement. Its foreign ministry said that "the government has no involvement whatsoever in it." [1]
The return she describes would force a choice Dhaka has so far avoided. A death sentence handed down in absentia becomes enforceable only if the convicted person is within reach, and Hasina's arrival would put Bangladesh's authorities in the position of either carrying out that sentence or being seen to let a condemned former leader walk free. [1]
The stakes are immediate and personal. Hasina faces execution if she sets foot in Bangladesh, and the government that replaced her faces the cost of a public reckoning whichever way it turns. Her supporters and her accusers are both waiting to learn whether December brings a homecoming, an arrest, or nothing at all. [1]
